Shark Week 2022 to Include Footage of a Shark in Papua New Guinea Walking on Land — Watch

Footage from Shark Week 2022's special, Island of the Walking Sharks, shows a shark in Papua New Guinea using its fins to walk on land.

PEOPLE has an exclusive look at the surprising scene before Shark Week 2022 kicks off on July 24, with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson serving as the TV event's master of ceremonies.

Island of the Walking Sharks, which premieres on July 27 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery and Discovery+, follows wildlife conservationist and biologist Forrest Galante as he travels to Papua New Guinea to definitively prove that epaulette sharks (also known as bamboo sharks) are evolving to walk on land.

The clip above from the special shows Galante encountering an epaulette shark in Papua New Guinea using its fins to walk on wet land.

"These sharks typically choose to move by using their pectoral and pelvic fins to walk along the seafloor rather than swim like we see in most other shark species. Several species have even been documented walking out of the water in isolated tidal pools and reefs, but none in Papua New Guinea," Galante told PEOPLE about why the footage is so exciting.

Galante added that epaulette sharks like the one he documented in Papua New Guinea developed the ability to briefly walk on land by using their fins to navigate the sea floor.

"Epaulette sharks are mostly found in coral reefs where they hunt crustaceans, worms, and small fish. As the tide drops, individuals are sometimes caught in tidal pools and shallow pockets of water. By using their fins to walk out of the water and back into the open ocean, these sharks have developed the ability to 'walk' across sections of exposed coral reef and rock," the biologist explained.

The epaulette shark's feet-like fins are not the only trait that makes the creature able to spend brief moments walking on land.

"Scientists determined that walking sharks only evolved around 9 million years ago, making them the 'youngest' sharks on our planet. They've evolved to withstand hypoxic environments with low oxygen levels like the tide pools they often find themselves trapped in by increasing blood supply to their brain and shutting down non-essential brain functions," Galante said.

Galante hopes the discoveries in Island of the Walking Sharks inspire animal lovers to support shark conservation and research.

"It's critical that we do our very best to further our knowledge base of species like epaulette sharks to ensure their long-term conservation," he said.

Watch Galante's interview encounter with a "walking shark" by tuning into Shark Week's Island of the Walking Sharks on July 27 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery and Discovery+.